by Randy Henson
I then looked up at Orin and said, “What the hell, man?”
Orin just stood there staring at me and wringing his burned hands. Then he turned toward the mirror on the wall and pointed.
I turned toward the mirror and stepped up to it. At first I didn’t understand what he was pointing at. Then I saw it.
Oh, no!
I leaned closer toward the mirror and stared into my own eyes. The whites of my eyes were still white, but the irises were no longer green. They had turned a bright yellow, almost gold, even brighter than Jack’s.
I looked back at Orin and asked, “What does this mean?”
Orin didn’t say anything. He just stood there staring at me and slowly shaking his head. Then his gaze shifted from me to somewhere over my right shoulder and he jerked backward a step.
Then I heard what sounded like three guns being cocked from somewhere behind me.
DEVIL GIRL: BEWITCHED
(The Somnopolis Saga: Part Two)
By Randy Henson
Copyright Randy Henson 2013
CHAPTER ONE
“Raise your hands and turn around,” I heard a scratchy male voice say from behind me.
I stared at Orin and watched him slowly raise his hands.
I raised my hands and slowly turned to see three men pointing pistols at me. They were not what I expected. They were all dressed in suits and ties and they were all clean shaven. They definitely didn’t look like the survivalist types I was used to seeing nowadays. These three even made Orin look like a backwoods country bumpkin.
Hell, they made me look like a bumpkin in my blue jeans, t-shirt, and heavy hiking boots.
I looked down at their dress shoes, all polished to a high shine.
The man standing in the middle squinted at me and said, “Devil Girl?”
I recognized his scratchy voice as the one who had told me to raise my hands and turn around.
“Is that you?” he asked.
I looked up into his eyes. I didn’t recognize his face.
“I guess,” I said.
He lowered his gun a little bit and jutted his chin toward Orin.
“Is he a friend?” he asked me.
I turned to look at Orin. Then I turned back to look at the man with the scratchy voice.
I nodded and said, “Yeah, he’s a friend.”
He’s probably my only friend, I thought. If I didn’t count my brother, Jack, that is.
The man lowered his pistol, holding it to his side and said, “They’re all right, boys. This is the one I was telling you guys about, the one from The Atlanta Compound. She’s the one that broke McConnell’s leg.”
He grinned at me and then he frowned and looked around.
“Where’s your brother? Jack, right?”
I just looked at him.
“Oh,” he said. “I didn’t know. I’m terribly sorry.”
He sounded sincere. My gut said I could trust him. At least for the moment. I turned my head and looked at Jack who was still seated at one of the coffee shop’s booths and attacking a straw basket filled with chocolates.
I then looked back to the man doing the talking and saw that he was looking in the direction I had turned, but he couldn’t see Jack from where he stood. He then took a couple of steps and he saw Jack.
He then turned back to me, smiling, and said, “Oh, good. For a moment there I thought…” His voice trailed off.
I noticed that his two companions had only lowered their pistols halfway and were looking at Orin and me with suspicion. They were standing ready for anything and they gave me the impression of two coiled snakes ready to strike at a moments notice.
“You probably don’t remember me,” he said. “I mean, how could you, right? We never actually met.”
He pulled the left side of his blazer open and shoved his pistol into a shoulder holster. He then stepped up to me, offered me his right hand, and said, “I’m Joe Carnes.”
I accepted his hand, shook it, and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I hope.”
“You hope. That’s good. I like that. Did you hear that one, boys?”
“Yeah, we heard,” the man to Joe’s left said.
Joe looked into my eyes and shook his head as he continued grinning.
“She said you were coming. But, I got to say, I had my doubts. I definitely didn’t have any idea it would turn out being you. So, when did your eyes start glowing?” Joe said.
I turned my head to look at Orin, who was wearing a mask of pure confusion. I turned back to Joe and said, “We just noticed them in the mirror. What do you mean someone said I was coming. Who said I was coming?”
“I did,” a shaky female voice said.
The two men standing behind Joe stepped to either side and made room for a very small elderly woman.
Joe stepped aside as the woman walked over and looked up at me. She was bone thin and short, probably not five feet tall. I’m five-five and I felt like I towered over her. She wore a light baby blue colored dress with a yellow and pink floral print. A blue pillbox hat balanced on top of a pile of silver hair. She looked like she was ready to go to Easter service.
“You’re safe here, child,” she said.
“I’m no child,” I said.
The old woman cackled and said, “So grown up.” Then all mirth left her face as she scowled and said, “But I guess these days one must grow up quick, or not at all.”
“What did he mean you knew we were coming? We didn’t even know until we pulled in here,” I said.
Mirth returned to the old woman’s face and she said, “I only knew that you were coming. I didn’t know about your friends, but it’s good to see that you have some. Our kind rarely does, or at least we don’t make them easily.”
“What do you mean ‘our kind’?” I asked.
Then I noticed her eyes below her heavy and wrinkled eyelids. Her left eye was a cloudy bluish, grey but her right eye was the same color as mine, a bright gold.
“I’ll explain as much as I can. But where are my manners? My name is Moira. I run things here. Actually, I let my grandson run things. I am getting on in years, you see, and I must conserve my energy. And who are your friends?” the old woman said.
“I’m B, and this is Orin,” I said as I pointed a thumb behind me toward Orin. “And over there, stuffing his face with chocolates, is my brother, Jack. And what do you mean you run things here?”
Moira looked over at Jack and frowned and said, “That young man either has a serious sweet tooth, or he’s starving. Young bodies need warm meat, not sugar and empty calories. We must feed you and your companions a proper meal.”
“Thank you. We’d appreciate that. But what did you mean you run things here?” I asked.
Moira looked up at me and smiled. She then took my left hand in her right and patted it with her left and said, “The young are always in such a hurry. Which is backwards, don’t you think? Since we old folk are the ones with such little time left, one would think it would be the other way around. Anyway, I will explain everything, my dear. But first we must get you three settled. We must get you cleaned up and get some warm food in your bellies. Come.”
Moira dropped my hand, turned, and shuffled between Joe and the two other men in suits.
I stood there and said, “Let me get Jack.” I then walked over to Jack and took his hand. I pulled gently, coaxing him out of the booth as I said, “Good Jack. Come with me, Jack.”
“Jack, Jack?” Jack said as he stood. He then looked down at the basket of chocolates he’d been attacking.
“Come, Jack. It’s all good,” I said as I gently led him away from the booth and the chocolate.
“Good?” my brother said.
“Very good,” I said as I squeezed his hand.
Then Orin, Jack, and I followed Moira out of the coffee shop.
I looked behind me to see that Joe was following us while the two other men were walking away from us in the other direction.
CHAPTER TWO
Lieutenant Hale had parked the jeep in a Holiday Inn’s parking lot about a mile away from the galleria. There were thirteen other jeeps in the lot and three dozen soldiers milling about either smoking, talking into walkie-talkies, or just stretching their legs.
After Lieutenant Hale got out of the jeep, Colonel Lundy turned around in his seat and looked at Dr. Nichols, who sat alone in the back.
“So, where do you think the girl is heading?” Lundy asked.
“Well, sir, I would think Virginia, to The Compound there. That’s where I’d go if I were in her shoes, sir. And that’s the direction they’re heading in,” Dr. Nichols answered.
Colonel Lundy nodded and said, “You’re probably right. And you’re sure she hasn’t evolved, yet?”
“Yes, sir… I mean no, sir, not yet, at least not at the time she left The Compound. Her eyes hadn’t changed color yet and her strength was normal as far as I could tell.”
“But you’re sure she will at some point. There’s no doubt in your mind. We’re using a lot of resources here, trying to acquire her.”
“No doubt at all, sir. I did her blood work myself. Her white cell count was way too high for her not to evolve, and soon. I was actually surprised she hadn’t evolved already when I read her lab results. But, sir, even if I did have some doubts, though I don’t, but if I did, what other choice would we have, sir? Even if there was only a small chance she will evolve, what would we be doing differently?”
Colonel Lundy looked at Dr. Nichols for a moment, nodded, and then said, “Point taken, Doctor.”
Lieutenant Hale returned to the jeep and got in, sitting down without closing the door.
“She was spotted going into the mall alright, but we have a problem, sir. Recon counts fourteen sentries with automatic weapons on the structure’s roof. Also, thermal imaging shows a large presence inside the structure itself. At least a hundred hostiles, sir,” Hale reported.
“Hostiles?” Dr. Nichols said.
Colonel Lundy glanced back at Dr. Nichols and then turned and raised his eyebrows at Lieutenant Hale.
Lieutenant Hale turned in his seat to look back at Dr. Nichols and said, “The armed sentries on the structure’s roof suggest that those on the interior are either hostiles or hostages. In situations such as ours, it’s always best to proceed on the side of caution and assume they are all hostile.”
“So, you’re saying there may be over a hundred armed men with her?” Dr. Nichols asked.
Colonel Lundy shook his head and said, “What the lieutenant is saying, Doctor, is that it would be imprudent to assume otherwise.”
“How would you like to proceed, sir?” Hale asked the colonel.
“When are reinforcements arriving, Lieutenant?” Lundy asked.
“Dawn, sir. Four choppers and two caravans.”
“Then we have until dawn to plan a course of action. We’ll bunk here tonight. You better tell your men to get some shuteye. They’re going to need it.”
“Yes, sir,” Lieutenant Hale said and then he got out of the jeep.
“Colonel?” Dr. Nichols said.
“Yes?”
“What if we just wait until she leaves? Then we grab her.”
“I’ve thought of that. But what if she’s been taken hostage? We don’t know anything about these people at the galleria. The fact that they have armed sentries worries me,” Lundy asked.
“I think it’s likely she will leave, if she is permitted. I think we should set a timeline, sir. I mean, some sort of deadline,” Dr. Nichols suggested.
“What would you suggest, Doctor?” the colonel asked.
“I’m thinking noon tomorrow. If she hasn’t left by noon tomorrow, I would think it’s safe to assume she’s being held against her will.”
Colonel Lundy nodded and said, “Very well, Doctor. Noon tomorrow it is then. If she hasn’t left by noon tomorrow, then we go in.”
Dr. Nichols frowned and said, “And we pray that she doesn’t evolve before then.”
CHAPTER THREE
We followed Moira to the escalators. Joe opened a panel on the side of the escalator and did something, probably flipped a switch or pressed a button, and the escalator started up. Moira climbed onto an ascending step and we all followed, Jack still holding my hand and sharing a step with me.
As we ascended, I felt Orin’s hand press me gently on my back as he leaned forward.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Orin whispered into my left ear.
Everything felt surreal to me, but of course the last ten months had felt surreal to me. I didn’t have what I would call a ‘bad feeling’ about our current situation, though. Partly because the old woman, Moira, somehow made me feel at ease and partly because I had woken up that morning to a strange man attacking me and trying to pull my jeans off and I felt as if things were going much better than how they had started.
“Just stay cool and keep your eyes open,” I whispered back to Orin.
When we stepped off the escalator and onto the second floor, two men stood on either side of the escalator, both dressed in black slacks and black shirts and both holding automatic rifles. The two men stayed put next to the escalators as Moira led us past various shops.
I noticed a sporting goods store on our left and made a mental note to return to it later. Then I remembered I had left my backpack and our bedrolls outside in the bed of the pickup Orin, Jack, and I had arrived in. I needed to go retrieve our stuff whenever I got the chance.
We walked nearly the full length of the mall until we came to a Macy’s. Moira entered the department store and led us around perfume counters. I found the smell sickeningly sweet, but it was by far not the worst smell I had encountered in the last ten months.
We walked past a children’s clothing section and entered the bedding section. The entire bedding section had been restructured into a maze of cubicles, sleeping quarters that were partitioned with dressers, mirrors, bookshelves, and various other pieces of furniture. Most of the cubicles were occupied and people turned and stared at us as we passed. I noticed that most of these people were women, children, and elderly couples. I didn’t notice anyone with red and yellow eyes. None of them looked infected.
Why weren’t these people in a compound? Maybe this was a compound. After all, I’d only been to two compounds, the one in Atlanta and the one in New Orleans. Converting a shopping mall into a compound didn’t sound that farfetched to me when I thought about it.
Moira led us to a corner of the department store. It was the southeast corner if my bearings were correct. She then stopped and turned, motioning us toward the corner cubicle.
“I hope you will find this comfortable,” Moira said as Orin, Jack, and I entered the cubicle.
It was larger than most of the cubicles we had passed. Two queen-size beds occupied most of the cubicle’s space and I was surprised to see my backpack on the floor at the foot of the bed closest to the corner. I didn’t see our bedrolls anywhere. An armoire and three dressers with mirrors served as the cubicle’s walls and provided some privacy.
Moira looked at me and said, “I hope you don’t mind, but we took the liberty of disposing of your sleeping bags. You can pick out new, cleaner ones tomorrow or whenever you decide to leave us. We also disposed of your vehicle. As you probably noticed, there are many more suitable vehicles outside and you are welcome to take your pick of one or two of those. Do you find these accommodations satisfactory?”
“Uh, absolutely,” I said.
“Thank you,” Orin said.
“Then let’s get you cleaned up and fed. Follow me,” Moira said.
We followed Moira to the escalators inside Macy’s and on the way I noticed Joe was no longer with us. As it turned out, Joe’s services weren’t needed because these escalators were already running when we got to them. As with the other escalators, two armed guards stood at attention with automatic rifles.
We followed Moira down the escalator and through a jewelry department. She led us
to a pair of double doors that read ‘Employees Only’ and we followed her through them and down a concrete hallway until we came to some locker rooms.
Moira pointed here and there as she said, “Towels are stacked here, clean robes are over there, as well as soap, shampoos, and conditioners. When you’re finished with your showers, fill free to take whatever clothes you want straight off the shelves or racks upstairs. Or feel free to go to one of the other stores if you don’t find anything you like upstairs. Although, I doubt that will be an issue, this is Macy’s after all. But we might be out of one of your sizes upstairs, so feel free to browse the mall. Once you’re clean and clothed, ask one of the guards to call me on his walkie-talkie, and we’ll get some warm food in you and I’ll answer all your questions, or at least the questions I have answers for. Fair enough?”
“More than fair. Thank you so much,” I said.
“Fair,” Jack said.
“About the guards?” Orin said.
“Yes?” Moira said, raising her eyebrows at Orin.
“I was just wondering what they were for,” Orin said.
Moira laughed and said, “For protection, of course.”
Then she turned and left.
Orin turned to me and said, “This is all too weird.”
“Weird, maybe, but nice,” I said.
“I don’t like it,” Orin said.
“I suppose you preferred running through the forest from dogs and soldiers,” I said.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said.
I tugged on Jack’s hand and said, “Come on, Jack. It’s time to get clean.”
“Clean,” Jack said.
I led Jack over to a wooden bench that rested next to the showers. There were six showers with curtains across from six sinks and mirrors. I sat Jack down on the bench and then I grabbed two robes, two towels, two bars of soap, and a small bottle of generic shampoo.
I then walked back over to Jack and set everything down on the bench beside him. I then walked over to the closest shower and turned it on, adjusted the temperature so it was hot, but not too hot. Then I walked back over and unwrapped the bars of soap. I handed one to Jack and placed the other one on the bench.
